April 26, 2008

Box Score

Newark, Del. - The George Mason baseball team scored 10 unanswered runs and the Patriots used 15 hits to build an insurmountable lead as Mason beat Delaware on Saturday, 10-3 in Colonial Athletic Association action. Mason and Delaware have split the first two games in the series.

Josh Steinberg was 3 for 5 with three RBI, Chris Henderson was 3 for 5 with two runs scored, Justin Bour was 2 for 3 with three runs and Scott Krieger was 2 for 4 with two RBI. Ryan Uphouse and Mark Hill also had multi-hit games.

Mason (21-21, 13-8) got on the board in the top of the first when Bour singled with two outs and scored on a Krieger double for a 1-0 lead. The Patriots added to their lead in the third when Ryan Soares and Henderson led off with back-to-back singles and Bour doubled to center to make it 2-0. With runners on second and third and no outs, the Blue Hens (15-25, 7-13) intentionally walked Krieger, making it eight straight plate appearances in which the junior reached base safely.

After Henderson was picked off of third, Steinberg made the Blue Hens pay for the intentional walk by doubling to make it 4-0. After a Mark Hill single to put runners on the corners, Delaware made a pitching change, lifting starter Brad Miller for Joe Tebaldi. Tebaldi walked Brent Weiss to load the bases and Uphouse to force in a run. The inning ended, though, when Spencer Wiggins struck out and Soares flew out.

In the fourth, Henderson led off with a double, Bour was intentionally walked and Krieger followed with an RBI single, running his streak to reaching safely in nine straight plate appearances. Steinberg singled to third and on the play, Pat Dameron threw the ball away, allowing Bour and Krieger to score.

In the fifth, Soares reached on a fielder's choice, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Henderson double. Bour was again intentionally walked, but this time Krieger finally made an out, flying out to center. Steinberg again came through, though, this time with an RBI double. Bour was thrown out trying to score, though, and the inning ended with Mason ahead, 10-0.

Armed with the large lead, Mike Modica calmly dealt with the Blue Hens. He retired Delaware in order in the first, allowed a meaningless single in the second, struck out the side in the third despite hitting a batter, and had little worry with a leadoff single in the fourth. In the fifth, there was finally a chink in Modica's armor. His control gave way as he allowed a one-out hit, a two-out walk and a single to make it 10-1. After a hit batter, a wild pitch made it 10-2.

Delaware made it 10-3 in the seventh behind a walk, a single, an error and a sacrifice fly, but that turned out to be the game's final run. Modica (3-4) allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits and three walks while striking out nine in seven innings. The Patriots and Blue Hens will conclude their three-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m.